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NCJW Advocacy Wrap-Up:
Friday, January 5, 2023
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In this issue...
Volunteers and Donations Needed for Shining a Light:
a Long Beach Summit on Antisemitism and Hate
NCJW Collaborates with Project Shema for Training
Webinar: How to Be an Anti-Antisemite
BEYOND ROE: Intersection of Abortion Access, Economic Justice, and Religious Liberty
Forward Friday: NCJW Abortion Access Campaign Newsletter
ADL: Act to Counter Antisemitism
Urge the Senate to Condemn October 7th Sexual Violence
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Volunteers and Donations Needed for
Shining a Light: a Long Beach Summit on Antisemitism and Hate
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Cal State University, Long Beach
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NCJW Greater Long Beach & West Orange County has joined with ADL Orange County/Long Beach, Jewish Long Beach, CCEJ (California Conference for Equality and Justice) and CSULB to present an all-day conference at California State University, Long Beach.
Shining A Light is a one-day, immersive learning day experience for leaders across all sectors of the greater Long Beach community, including civic, government, non-profit, faith-based, education, media, and law enforcement.
The summit will bring together national and local leaders in order to:
- Educate the community about the history of antisemitism and its current and complex manifestations.
- Explore ways to educate Long Beach citizens about these issues and develop strategies to combat anti-Jewish and other forms of hate.
- Engage with stakeholders to leverage our collective resources to foster lasting partnerships and collaborations.
We expect at least 200 community leaders to attend. You can support the conference by volunteering:
- work on registration
- introduce speakers
- summarize sessions that can lead to future collaborations, a key part of the goals of the conference
Or by donating to NCJW - GLB & WOC’s Addressing Antisemitism/Hate Advocacy Fund. Our Section has made a commitment to support the conference with $1,500 and we need your help. You can donate here https://www.ncjwlongbeach.org/donate and select the fund.
To volunteer, email advocacy@ncjwlongbeach.org.
This event is made possible by a grant from Jewish Long Beach and contributions and planning from NCJW Greater Long Beach & W. Orange County, ADL, CSULB, & CCEJ
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Training: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Jewish Ideas: Analysis and Strategy,
a Briefing on the Current Situation
January 11, 18 or 23 on Zoom
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National Council of Jewish Women is collaborating with Project Shema to offer a specialized training focused on addressing contemporary antisemitism, particularly as it relates to discourse around Israel and Palestine.
Title: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Jewish Ideas: Analysis and Strategy, a Briefing on the Current Situation
Project Shema is a training and support organization built by progressives to help the Jewish community and allies understand and address contemporary antisemitism. They focus their efforts on the unique ways anti-Jewish ideas can emerge in discourse around Israel and Palestine. Project Shema will provide our community with analysis, resources, and strategies to address anti-Jewish language and sentiment. Participants will receive an extensive resource guide with actionable next steps and messaging guidance, including ways to effectively navigate the use of terminology like colonialism and genocide.
Project Shema will offer the same training three separate times to accommodate option 1, 2 or 3.
The Training
In addition to these webinar style sessions, Project Shema will also offer an
In addition to these webinar style sessions, Project Shema will also offer an ‘Office Hours’ session for Q&A, reflection and dialogue on Thursday, Jan 25 @ 4:30 pm PT/ 6:30 pm CT/ 7:30 pm ET. You must also register for that session if you'd like to attend. Many thanks, and please let us know if you have any further questions: action@ncjw.org.
About Project Shema
Project Shema comes highly recommended based on the work they have done with many NCJW sections. As an organization, they are committed to helping participants challenge anti-Jewish ideas and nurture compassion for Jews, especially within Israel-Palestine discourse. Project Shema does not engage in, or educate about, Israeli policy or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather, they work to deepen understanding and empathy for the Jewish people's history, trauma, and lived experiences. While they are an antisemitism education and Jewish organization, they do all of their work in an intersectional way that explicitly names anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian harm in these conversations.
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How to Be an Anti-Antisemite
Responding to the Growth of Antisemitism in 21st Century America
Wednesday, January 17, 2024, 9:00-11:00 a.m. on Zoom
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The incidence of antisemitism in America has reached heights not seen in well over half a century. In the past year, antisemitic incidents have spiked by more than 400%, a level that FBI director Christopher Wray calls “historic.” This panel will discuss how we have reached this point as a nation, how to recognize antisemitism when we see it, and how to combat it. The program will discuss ways to empower individuals and communities that experience or observe antisemitism to oppose it, including through education, allyship, legislation and litigation. Importantly, there will be discussion as to how to combat antisemitism in a fashion consistent with the protections afforded other groups, and respecting the protections afforded by the first amendment.
Attendees are encouraged to visit the American Bar Association (ABA)’s Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice's "21-Day Practice on Combating Antisemitism," which includes accessible sources and resources that provide a broad understanding of many facets of antisemitism. Attendees are also directed to ABA Resolution and Report 514M23, adopted by the ABA in February 2023, which condemns, and calls for action to oppose, antisemitism.
Speakers:
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Alyza D. Lewin – President, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (“LDB”); Co-founder and Partner, Lewin & Lewin, LLP
- Tyler Gregory – Chief Executive Officer, JCRC Bay Area
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Nadine Strossen – John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita, New York Law School; Author, HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship and Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know
Moderator:
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Mark I. Schickman – Delegate, ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Principal, SchickmanLaw
Sponsor: ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice
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BEYOND ROE: Intersection of Abortion Access,
Economic Justice, and Religious Liberty
Sunday, January 28, 2024, at 5 pm via Zoom
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Beyond Roe 2024
Join the Conversation
Discover the intersectionality of abortion access, economic justice, and religious liberty at our event on Sunday, January 28, at 5 pm PST!
Event Highlights:
🎤 Emcee: Gabrielle Brown, Black Women for Wellness
🌟 Keynote Speaker Rabbi Mira Rivera
🤝 Intimate conversations in smaller groups
🔗 Learn More and Register: Discover the details and secure your spot at Beyond Roe 2024.
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Forward Friday: NCJW Abortion Access Campaign Newsletter | |
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"Abortion is a moral choice. It is an ethical choice. It is your choice. There are no good abortions; there are no bad abortions; there is only the abortion you need. FULL STOP."
– Lizz Winstead,
former Daily Show head writer, founder of Abortion Access Front
Dear Advocates,
NCJW is loudly, proudly, Jewishly pro-abortion — and as 2024 gears up, we are as charged up as ever in our Jewish fight for reproductive freedom. Why? Well, where to even begin...
First, as you likely heard, the Supreme Court decided last month to hear the first abortion case since they overturned Roe v. Wade. Remember in the spring when a judge in Texas tried to ban mifepristone (one of two drugs used in medication abortion and miscarriage care)? That same case is now at the Supreme Court and could mean the end of access to the most common medication abortion regimen used in the US — even in states where abortion rights are protected. It could also have major implications for other FDA-approved drugs. The Supreme Court must reverse the extreme decision of the lower court and end the attacks on this essential medication.
Here’s what’s key to know right now: Mifepristone is safe and effective. It has been used by more than five million people over the last 20 years. It is safer than Tylenol. And it remains FDA-approved and available. (Check out our repro care page to learn about how to access medication abortion right now.)
What can you do?
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Make a gift to the Jewish Fund for Abortion Access which remains the best way to give Jewishly to the fight for reproductive freedom. Help give our movement the resources we need to mobilize and respond in this critical time.
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Get a medication abortion sweatshirt or poster to help tell the world that mifepristone is safe, effective, and belongs in our communities! (Plus the sweatshirt is 23% off right now.)
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Tell HHS to expand medication abortion access! Unnecessary restrictions remain on this safe and effective abortion regimen, limiting its availability. The Department of Health and Human Services has the power to make medication abortion more readily available.
There’s more: Kate Cox and her bravery to challenge the state of Texas’ abortion ban while she was pregnant showed the country the danger and harm of abortion bans and the hypocrisy of medical exceptions. As the Center for Reproductive Rights, who litigated the case, put it, “...in sharing her story, Kate showed the world that abortion is health care, and exposed the truth about Texas’s 'medical exceptions' policy: it doesn’t work, and it was never designed to.”
And there’s even more: Brittany Watts. Brittany, who lives in Ohio, is currently awaiting a grand jury decision on whether she will stand trial for suffering a miscarriage. She has been charged with a felony for a tragedy that resulted in the loss of a wanted pregnancy but also jeopardized her own life. This is just another example of how abortion bans seek to criminalize people — namely Black women — and could deter people experiencing pregnancy loss from seeking necessary medical attention. Join us in demanding #JusticeforBrittany.
Lastly, and some good news, advocates in Florida believe they have collected the necessary number of signatures needed for a constitutional amendment to protect the right to an abortion on the 2024 ballot. We’ll have ways for you to plug into the ballot measure campaign leading up to the election!
Our work has never been more clear; as Jews, we believe in the dignity of all people. This includes the right to bodily autonomy. Reproductive freedom is a Jewish value, and National Council of Jewish Women has been leading the fight for 130 years.
As the year came to a close, the highs and the lows of mid-December renew our resolve for reproductive health, rights, and justice no matter how long it takes. We hope each of you found some moments of rest and rejuvenation because 2024 is here and we’ve got work to do.
Onward,
Shira and Glenn
Shira Zemel and Glenn Northern
NCJW Abortion Access Campaign Co-Directors
National Council of Jewish Women
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ADL: Act to Counter Antisemitism
Urge the Senate to Condemn
October 7th Sexual Violence
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Ways to Take Action to Counter Campus Antisemitism: As reported in this Briefing a few weeks ago, the ADL Center for Antisemitism Research (CAR), in partnership with Hillel International and College Pulse, surveyed American college students before and after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, 2023 to better understand the current state of the campus climate for Jewish students. The topline results highlight concerning trends that underscore the urgent need to protect Jewish students on campus and foster an inclusive and safe educational environment for all.
→ Read about ways you can combat campus antisemitism, learn more about its prevalence and severity, and be an ally to Jewish students.
Urge the Senate to Condemn October 7th Sexual Violence: The October 7th Hamas attack on Israel was the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. Investigators have documented widespread rape and sexual violence by Hamas against Israeli women and girls. Yet the world remains silent. Human rights organizations, advocates for women and children, and feminist leaders have ignored or flat-out denied that these atrocities took place. We are grateful that a bipartisan group of 16 Senators have introduced a Senate resolution to formally recognize and condemn the use of sexual violence on October 7th. Please join ADL in asking your Senator to support the resolution. Click here to SPEAK OUT with ADL about this!
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